120: crushing

This city that never sleeps seemed like a tireless giant, squandering the confidence and joy brought by technology and prosperity, immersed in the pleasure of self-achievement and infinite longing for the future...

After finishing the main celebratory activities, Lin Fan returned to his residence and office on the top floor of the Academy of Sciences, using physical discomfort as an excuse.

The hustle and bustle and glory outside belonged to the people, to this young and vibrant civilization he had personally helped foster.

And he, this "Old God" of civilization, was more accustomed to thinking about the future course of civilization in absolute silence, as well as that ultimate question that lingered in his heart and refused to leave.

"Teacher, you should rest." Wang Lei walked in carrying a cup of warm energy agent, specially formulated according to a nutritional formula provided by Lin Fan in his early years, with concern on his face.

"Director Chen of the medical team has repeatedly urged that your heart load is near its limit and you need absolute rest."

Lin Fan took the cup emitting a faint herbal fragrance, but did not drink it immediately.

"Xiao Lei, you say... we have exhausted the power of the whole world to build so many radio telescopes, and the 'Listener' array has been running for more than twenty years, why, apart from cosmic background radiation and the regular signals of a few pulsars, can we never capture any... any meaningful signals that might be sent by intelligent life?"

Wang Lei was stunned for a moment, obviously not expecting his teacher to bring up this almost philosophical question at this time. He smiled, his tone carrying the optimism and confidence generally held by the New Han Republic scientific community:

"Teacher, you are overthinking. According to our existing Universe models and observational data, the birth of life itself is a one-in-a-billion miracle, and the emergence of intelligent life is a miracle among miracles. Perhaps, in this galaxy we are in, there really is only our New Han Republic civilization. We are lonely, but also lucky, able to explore and develop at our own pace with peace of mind."

This was the mainstream consensus of the New Han Republic scientific community, and it was also the seemingly most reasonable inference drawn after decades of rigorous observation.

They were like sailors who had just built their first sailboat and sailed out of the harbor, looking at the vast ocean that seemed empty before them, thinking they were the only masters of this world.

Lin Fan sighed softly, put down the lukewarm energy agent, and his fingers tapped the armrest of his wheelchair unconsciously:

"Cannot observe... Xiao Lei, you must remember, not being able to observe never equals not existing. Perhaps... it's not that there isn't any, but that our 'eyes' are not bright enough, our 'ears' are not sensitive enough, or... some existences deliberately do not want us to 'see' and 'hear'."

He had even proposed a hypothesis called "dark forest law" based on sci-fi settings in his memory and had discussed it in a small internal circle.

But the vast majority of his colleagues thought this lacked empirical support and was more like a pessimistic argument based on fantasy.

Within a civilization that had never truly come into contact with alien civilizations and was in a period of explosive technological growth, a naive and dangerous optimism generally prevailed.

Some believed that alien civilizations must follow some kind of "cosmic ethics," full of goodwill and willing to communicate.

Some believed that even if they existed, they could not pose a threat because the distance was too far.

Others even felt that with the New Han Republic's current strength in controlling planets and initially exploring star Systems, they were already unafraid of any potential challenges!

...

This almost blind confidence made Lin Fan feel a deep sense of unease, as if he saw a group of children playing carefree on the edge of a cliff, completely unaware of the abyss beneath their feet.

Just then—

"Buzz——————!!!"

A strange buzzing sound, extremely slight but with a frequency so high it exceeded the upper limit of human hearing, as if drilling directly into the brain, swept across the entire planet without warning!

This buzzing did not propagate through air vibration, but acted directly on the cores of all electronic devices on the planet in a way that exceeded the New Han Republic's understanding of physics!

"Zzz—!!"

The data streams on several light screens in front of Lin Fan were like the surface of water into which a stone had been thrown, instantly distorted and chaotic, and then turned into snow!

Inside the Academy of Sciences, all preset and non-preset alarm Systems emitted a shrill, off-key scream at the same moment!

Blinding red warning lights flashed crazily at an unprecedented frequency, illuminating the entire control center like the entrance to Hell!

"What's going on?!" Wang Lei's face changed drastically, and he rushed to the internal communicator in a stride, his voice slightly distorted by shock.

"Control Center! This is Wang Lei! Report the situation immediately! Where are we being attacked?!"

The shout of the supervisor of the control center came from the other end of the communicator, almost breaking, full of incomprehensible fear:

"Mr. Vice President! Unknown source! Full frequency band! Strong energy interference! Our global communication network, internet root servers, military encrypted channels... everything! It's all signal channels! All of them have been covered and invaded by unknown signal patterns! Our firewalls... our firewalls are like they don't exist in front of it! The opponent's technology... we are completely unable to parse it! Repeat, unable to parse!!"

"What?!" Wang Lei was struck by lightning, frozen in place.

Unparseable technology?

This was beyond his scope of understanding.

Lin Fan's heart, at this moment, felt as if it had fallen into a ten-thousand-year ice cellar!

The worry he had always had turned into the coldest reality!

They... were not the only civilization!

Almost at the same moment the report from the control center came—

A miracle, or rather, a nightmare, had arrived!

All running screens, whether personal mobile terminals, giant home theater screens, public billboards in squares, navigation displays in aircraft cockpits, or surgical monitors in hospitals... globally, tens of billions of display devices were forcibly switched by an irresistible force!

After a brief moment of snowy noise, a clear and chilling image appeared on every screen.

The background was the deep, cold, starry sky dotted with countless points of light.

And in the very center of the image was a huge, ferocious warship full of violent aesthetic style!

It was dark red all over, as if cast from solidified blood, its armor plating covered with thick ramming horns and burn scars left by energy weapons.

On the bow of the ship, a hideous bloody fang logo exuded a chilling aura of death!

Immediately after, a figure appeared in the picture, occupying the foreground of the warship...

He was wearing a piece of patchwork power armor that looked rough but was highly functional, and a hideous scar ran across his face from his brow bone to his jaw, making his already fierce face look like a demon from Hell.

In his eyes, there was not the slightest curiosity or caution about an unfamiliar civilization, only naked greed like looking at prey, and a kind of condescending playfulness and cruelty that viewed all things as ants!

He spoke, in a language with strange syllables, heavy guttural sounds, and one that had never appeared in any New Han Republic language database.

But almost the moment he spoke, below all the screens on the planet, New Han Republic common text appeared, translated accurately, fluently, and even with a hint of localized slang style!

[Inferior, pitiful natives!]

That voice, synthesized electronically but still retaining its hoarse and cruel quality, clearly spread to every corner of the planet through every speaker, reaching the ears of every terrified New Han Republic citizen.

[Remember my name well! You can kneel down and call me—Lord 'Blood Claw'! I come from the great—Blood Blade Pirate Group—that makes you tremble!]

[This little broken ball under your feet that emits the tempting scent of life, and you chattering bugs, from now on, everything belongs to me! It is our property!]

In the picture, the pirate leader who called himself "Blood Claw"—a Planetary Level intermediate powerhouse—showed an extremely exaggerated, mocking smile on his face.

[Look at you! Look at your ridiculous detectors and communication tricks, like primitives knocking on stones! You actually naively thought that there was only you in this starry sky?! Still boasting on your network saying things like 'We are the only life in the galaxy'? Hahahaha! It really makes me laugh to death!]

He let out a harsh, undisguised wild laugh.

[Every place in the Universe that can be exposed to starlight, every star System, might grow bugs like you who think too highly of themselves! It's just that you are too weak! So weak that you don't even have the qualification to see us! Shielding your pathetic detection is as simple as covering the eyes of a crying baby for us! Understand? Little babies?!]

These naked, insulting words pierced the heart of every New Han Republic citizen like the sharpest ice pick!

The technological achievements they were proud of were just primitive toys in the eyes of others!

Their grand ambition to explore the starry sky was a courtyard that others had already trampled flat!

The scientific cognition they regarded as the cornerstone of civilization seemed so ridiculous and ignorant in the face of a higher-level existence!

Dimensional reduction strike!

This was a double dimensional reduction strike on the cognitive and technological levels!

[Now, give you bugs a chance, a chance that will allow some of you to continue living like livestock!]

"Blood Claw" put away his smile, his tone becoming cold and cruel, like a verdict.

[Immediately! Unconditional surrender! Hand over all the energy of your planet, all the mineral resources, and the control of all of you! Remember, it's everyone! I just want to be more efficient!]

[Otherwise...]

He deliberately dragged out his tone, and the screen switched again, aiming at a ferocious-looking secondary cannon on the outside of the warship, which was charging and emitting a chilling red light.

[Otherwise, I don't mind wasting a little energy to wipe your brightest, noisiest ant nest off the map. For example... that little dirt pile of yours called 'Qiming City'? I'll give you... thirty minutes of planetary rotation time to consider!]

The moment the words fell—

"Boom—!!!"

A thick, condensed, crimson ion beam containing destructive energy shot out from the muzzle of that secondary cannon!

Its target was not the planet below, but a large satellite in synchronous orbit belonging to the New Han Republic, responsible for global communication relay, the most advanced and expensive one—"Trade Wind 3"!

Under the gaze of countless people through screens, who were so terrified they almost stopped breathing, that "Trade Wind 3" satellite, which represented the pinnacle of New Han Republic communication technology and cost enough to build a city...

Without even stirring up a trace of struggle or the fire of an explosion, it instantly vaporized in that red beam, disappearing without a trace!!!

As if it had never existed!!!

Silence!

Deathly silence!

A suffocating silence enveloped the entire planet!

People who were still immersed in the aftertaste of the festival and self-satisfaction a second ago had their Souls instantly drawn away, leaving only cold shells and boundless fear!

The cheers stopped abruptly, smiles froze on their faces, replaced by pale complexions, wide eyes, and uncontrollable trembling!

Their deepest fear, their mentor's cryptic warning, had become reality in the most direct, cruel, and indisputable way!

"No... impossible... this absolutely cannot be true..." Wang Lei's face was drained of all color, his body sliding uncontrollably down the wall to the floor, his eyes unfocused, his faith collapsing.

Meanwhile, Lin Fan sat in his wheelchair, his hands gripping the armrests tightly, veins bulging on the back of his withered hands.

He closed his eyes, and two lines of turbid tears slid silently from the corners of his eyes, dripping onto the robe that symbolized the highest scientific honor.

He had lost!

He hadn't lost to time, nor to illness, but to this cold, cruel, and unreasonable dark forest law!

His life's work, the achievements of the civilization he was so proud of, were as fragile as bubbles under the sun in the face of higher-level power and cognition!

Without a System, what did it matter if one reached the Peak after Transmigration?!!!

...

After a brief, suffocating silence came a hysterical panic that erupted across the globe!

The transportation System paralyzed instantly, with countless vehicles crashing into each other!

The financial markets completely collapsed!

Riots and looting spread through every major city!

People screamed and wept, fleeing in all directions like headless flies, trying to find a safe place that simply did not exist!

The leadership of the New Han Republic was forced to convene an emergency joint meeting amidst extreme chaos.

At the meeting, the once-wise and decisive elites were now like ants on a hot pan, arguing endlessly, their composure completely lost...

A faction of military hardliners, their eyes bloodshot, advocated for assembling all global military forces, activating all nuclear arsenals, and resisting to the death!

Even if it meant turning the planet's surface into scorched earth, they would never suffer such humiliation!

Better to die standing than to live kneeling!

Some diplomatic officials still held unrealistic fantasies, advocating for attempts to establish communication with the other side to see if they could negotiate for more lenient terms, believing that the other side might only be after wealth or resources.

"Perhaps... perhaps we could become their vassal civilization in exchange for a chance to survive?"

There were even a few terrified surrenderists who advocated for immediately accepting all demands unconditionally, believing that any resistance was futile and would only hasten their destruction.

"Live! As long as we live, there is still hope!"

"Resist? With what?!!!" A five-star general in charge of space defense roared, slamming a stack of data onto the table!

"Our radar is completely ineffective against them! Our space-based weapon platforms lost contact the moment they appeared! One shot! Just one shot! And they destroyed our synchronous orbit satellite at an altitude of 36,000 kilometers!"

"Our carrier fleets, our aerospace fighters—in their eyes, what is the difference between them and children's toys?!!!"

"Communication? Did they give us a chance to communicate? They threatened us directly with destruction! Is this an attitude of communication? This is conquest! This is enslavement!" another cabinet member retorted excitedly.

"Become vassals? Look at their name! 'Blood Blade Pirate Group'! Listen to their tone! They are like pirates!!! Do they need vassals? They only need slaves and consumables!" Wang Lei struggled to stand up, his voice hoarse, his eyes bloodshot.

Lin Fan remained silent throughout, like a lifeless statue.

He watched these people, who represented the highest wisdom of their civilization, acting so panicked, helpless, and even ridiculous in the face of absolute power disparity and cognitive crushing...

All strategies, all tactics, and all technologies lost their meaning in the face of the opponent's dimension-reduction-style arrival!

The generational gap in knowledge is the chasm that defines the right to survive!

This chasm is bottomless and despair-inducing!

"Elder Lin... what... what is your view?"

Finally, all the arguing died down, and pairs of eyes—some desperate, some hopeful, some dazed—all turned toward the old man in the wheelchair.

He remained the last beacon of this civilization, even if the light was already so faint.

Lin Fan slowly and with extreme difficulty raised his head, his gaze sweeping across faces drained of color.

His voice was as hoarse as a broken bellows, each word carrying heavy weight:

"We... have no choice."

"Negotiation is asking a tiger for its hide! Surrender is waiting to be slaughtered! Resistance... is like a mantis trying to stop a chariot!"

"But!!! As a civilization! We cannot... sit and wait for death!!!"

He took a deep breath, as if using all his strength, a glimmer of final resolution flashing in his eyes.

"Initiate... the 'Seed' project."

The 'Seed' project was an ultimate contingency plan that Lin Fan had pushed forward under top-secret conditions twenty years ago, using his highest authority.

It aimed to select thousands of the most outstanding, genetically healthy young scientists, engineers, and artists, and use the most advanced technology of the time to build several interstellar arks equipped with long-term ecological maintenance Systems and deep-space hibernation functions.

Carrying human embryos, animal and plant gene banks, a complete database of civilization's knowledge, and basic industrial manufacturing templates, they would flee into deep space in different directions where potentially habitable planets might exist.

This was a helpless move to preserve the last shred of hope for continuation when the civilization faced an irresistible, devastating blow...

"At the same time," Lin Fan's voice carried a heartbreaking sorrow, "issue an announcement to the world in my name."

"Tell our people... we are not alone..."

"We... have welcomed... 'guests'."

"But!... prepare for... the worst..."

...

When Lin Fan's heavy and sorrowful announcement was released via the internal network and ground broadcast Systems that were still barely operational, it did not bring inspiration, but rather a deeper, suffocating despair, and a sense of absurdity in reality!

They had finally confirmed the existence of extraterrestrial life! But the price was the countdown of the entire civilization!

Just as the New Han leadership, under immense pressure and chaos, was struggling to initiate the 'Seed' project, attempting to preserve the last few faint sparks of hope for their civilization—

The Star Pirates lost their remaining patience.

'Blood Claw' looked through the flagship's porthole at the even more chaotic energy signals from within the planet on the screen.

Watching the preparations for the launch of those 'Seed' ships, which he saw as meaningless and akin to ants moving house, he spat impatiently.

"Damn it, these natives are really dawdling! It seems if I don't give them a taste of the real thing, they won't know what despair is!"

He waved his hand casually and ordered over the communication channel:

"Tear down half of that brightest 'Qiming City' for me! Let them hear the noise and wake up!"

A few minutes later, three small, agile Star Pirate landing craft, like three vultures smelling blood, ignored the planet's weak atmospheric friction.

Trailing crimson exhaust flames, they pierced through the clouds and dived straight toward the largest and most heavily defended military port in Qiming City!

Inside the military port were docked almost all the main warships of the New Han Republic! Including the 'Zhenyuan', a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier that had sounded its whistle majestically at the celebration only a few days ago.

Piercing combat alarms rang throughout the military port, as countless soldiers and sailors ran wildly on the decks, taking their battle stations!

One of the landing craft hovered over the military port, its hatch opened, and a Star Pirate member wearing light power armor, with a cruel and excited smile on his face, stepped out.

He just hovered in mid-air—Planetary Level primary strength!

He looked down at the massive 'Zhenyuan' aircraft carrier, which looked like a child's building block in his eyes, and the surrounding frigates and destroyers scurrying about like a frightened school of fish...

A... playful expression, like a cat toying with a mouse, appeared on his face?

He didn't even use any weapons, just casually raised his right hand, which was covered in a metal gauntlet.

He spread his five fingers slightly, and then, toward the direction of the aircraft carrier, he made a grasping motion from afar!

An invisible, intangible, yet terrifyingly extreme gravitational field instantly crossed the distance of tens of thousands of meters, acting upon the massive steel hull of the 'Zhenyuan' aircraft carrier!

Under the gaze of countless officers and soldiers in the military port, as well as the global populace who saw this scene through the remaining, trembling surveillance footage, eyes filled with extreme terror—

That steel behemoth, symbolizing the Peak of New Han's naval power, with a displacement of over 100,000 tons, constructed from countless special steels and advanced composite Materials!

Started from the middle of the hull, as if grabbed fiercely by an invisible cosmic giant hand!

The armor plates groaned with a teeth-grinding sound, instantly twisting and breaking!

The massive keel emitted a cracking sound of being unable to bear the load!

The internal compartments were crushed by the terrifying pressure, the ammunition depot was detonated, emitting dull and continuous loud noises!

Flames and thick smoke gushed wildly from all parts of the hull!

In less than ten seconds!

The once-arrogant nuclear-powered aircraft carrier 'Zhenyuan', along with the thousands of brave officers and soldiers who had sworn to hold their posts on the deck!

Were, under this silent, terrifying power, forcibly crushed into a pile of twisted steel tombs that were burning violently, exploding, and rapidly sinking!

And this Star Pirate, seemingly feeling that this 'appetizer' was not satisfying enough, turned his head to look at the sky above the port!

At the formations of New Han's most advanced 'Cloudbreaker' fighters that were desperately maneuvering and trying to lock onto him, a contemptuous arc curled at the corners of his mouth.

He casually, as if shooing away flies, blew a breath toward the direction of the fighter formations!

A visible, transparent ripple carrying high-frequency energy vibrations spread rapidly from him, like water ripples!

The dozens of 'Cloudbreaker' fighters swept by this energy ripple didn't even have time to make an evasive maneuver!

Their internal precision electronic components and structural parts were instantly destroyed by resonance, one after another turning into dazzling fireballs!

Like the most mournful fireworks on a holiday, blooming gorgeously and briefly in the sky, then dragging black smoke as they fell into the cold seawater below!

Crushing! An overwhelming, suspense-free crushing! A thorough, complete crushing! A despair-inducing crushing!

Individual might, surpassing collective technology!

A Planetary Level existence, to a 0.6-level civilization, is a walking natural disaster!

It is an incomprehensible, irresistible god!

Despair!!! The deepest, coldest despair, where not a single ray of light can be seen!

Like the permafrost cold wave on the Northern Di Ice Plains, it completely drowned the heart and Soul of every New Han person!!!

Lin Fan, on the top floor of the Academy of Sciences, looked through the huge floor-to-ceiling window that was claimed to be able to withstand the impact of strategic nuclear weapons...

And clearly saw the thick black smoke rising into the sky and the constantly flashing explosion flames from the direction of the military port!

He closed his eyes, and his whole body seemed to have aged another twenty years in an instant, all his vitality and spirit drained away...

His life's struggle, the achievements of the civilization he was so proud of, were proven to be so... cheap and powerless in the face of higher-level power?

He, and this civilization he loved, the civilization that held a trace of his nostalgia, seemed to have reached the end of its fate!!!